Bergeron among players dismissed from UT's football team

UT coach Charlie Strong is living up to his reputation as a disciplinarian by dismissing four players and suspending two others since Thursday.

UT coach Charlie Strong is living up to his reputation as a disciplinarian by dismissing four players and suspending two others since Thursday.

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Bergeron among players dismissed from UT's football team

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AUSTIN - From the beginning, attrition appeared inevitable.

Charlie Strong arrived at Texas six months ago stressing the need for increased toughness, strict discipline and an overall culture change. Generally, when those terms are uttered in college football, they're followed by a period of roster turnover.

But 10 days into his tenure as Longhorns football coach, Strong insisted he hoped everyone would stay.

"My aim is not to come in here and try to run players off," Strong said Jan. 15. "It's not about coming in and pounding down that hammer on someone. … I don't want to see them fail."

But with the start of his first preseason camp looming, Strong apparently decided some of his new players had run out of chances to succeed. On Thursday and Friday, six UT players were dismissed or suspended indefinitely, joining two others who were kicked off the team last March.

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Four of this week's dismissals, which were reported by multiple media outlets and confirmed by sources close to the program, were for breaking unspecified team rules. The indefinite suspensions of wide receivers Kendall Sanders and Montrel Meander came after they were arrested and charged with second-degree felony sexual assault Thursday.

Strong, who took over for former UT coach Mack Brown after spending four seasons at Louisville, has not granted interview requests since appearing at Big 12 Media Days in Dallas on Tuesday.

At that event, Strong said he had banned four players from the team facility this summer for breaking team rules, which include regular class attendance.

Asked if they would be allowed back, he said: "We'll have to see. Summer school isn't over yet."

Coach has 5 core values

By Friday, he dismissed a group of players including senior running back Joe Bergeron, who was not a full-time starter but rushed for 1,392 yards and 25 touchdowns during his three seasons at UT.

Another player expected to be a key contributor this season was Josh Turner, a senior safety who also was dismissed Friday. Running back Jalen Overstreet and defensive back Chevoski Collins, both backups, were dismissed Thursday, and reserves Leroy Scott and Chet Moss were booted in March.

Widespread departures are hardly uncommon after college staff changes, particularly when a coach known as a disciplinarian replaces one known for being more of a "players' coach," which was Brown's reputation.

Other programs in the Big 12 have seen similar periods of tumult over the past decade. In 2005, Mike Gundy dismissed six players during his first five months at Oklahoma State. In his first year after taking over at Kansas in 2012, Charlie Weis booted a staggering 29 players off the team.

Although there remains a possibility of more UT dismissals before the Longhorns report for camp Aug. 3, Strong is in no danger of approaching Weis' mark. And even as he continued to talk about the need for discipline Tuesday, Strong said staying in his good graces is pretty simple.

He expects his players to honor the five core values of his program, which he lists as honesty, treating women with respect, no drugs, no stealing and no guns.

"They break a core value, they're telling me they don't want to be a part of the program," Strong said.

Doing the right thing

Strong's strict approach has not only the support of athletic department officials and boosters but also the leaders in his locker room.

Senior Quandre Diggs, a preseason All-Big 12 defensive back and one of the team's best players, said this week he would help Strong "weed guys out" if they weren't serious about their commitment to the program and its standards.

"No negotiating," Diggs said. "That's the way it should be."

That said, Strong doesn't view a lack of discipline as a widespread problem at UT.

"Guys want to do right," Strong said. "You just have to lead them the right way."